Also: spidroin, dragline silk, recombinant spider silk
Spider dragline silk is famous for combining strength and toughness. Spiders cannot be farmed like silkworms, so researchers produce spider silk proteins (spidroins) in microbes and spin them into artificial fibres.
Readiness: lab lab studies · prototype demonstrated objects · commercial products or buildings in real use · review summaries of other studies.
Produced native-sized recombinant spider silk protein in metabolically engineered E. coli and spun it into a strong fibre.
Built / tested: silk fibres
As reported in: Xia, Qian, Ki et al. (2010). Native-sized recombinant spider silk protein produced in metabolically engineered <i>Escherichia coli</i> results in a strong fiber. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi:10.1073/pnas.1003366107
A protocol for producing recombinant spider silk-like proteins for artificial fibre spinning.
Built / tested: artificial fibres
As reported in: Teulé, Cooper, Furin et al. (2009). A protocol for the production of recombinant spider silk-like proteins for artificial fiber spinning. Nature Protocols. doi:10.1038/nprot.2008.250
Reported full-length spider dragline silk gene sequences as a blueprint for a high-performance biomaterial.
As reported in: Ayoub, Garb, Tinghitella et al. (2007). Blueprint for a High-Performance Biomaterial: Full-Length Spider Dragline Silk Genes. PLoS ONE. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000514
Hypotheses linking the sequence, structure and mechanical properties of spider silk proteins.
As reported in: Hayashi, Shipley, Lewis (1999). Hypotheses that correlate the sequence, structure, and mechanical properties of spider silk proteins. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. doi:10.1016/s0141-8130(98)00089-0
Abstract only
Biomimetic fibres made of recombinant spidroins with the same toughness as natural spider silk.
Built / tested: biomimetic fibres
As reported in: Heidebrecht, Eisoldt, Diehl et al. (2015). Biomimetic Fibers Made of Recombinant Spidroins with the Same Toughness as Natural Spider Silk. Advanced Materials. doi:10.1002/adma.201404234
Abstract only